Handbag frame latch



July 31, 1962 E. M. KARRON 3,047,322

HANDBAG FRAME LATCH Filed Dec. so, 1958 INVENTOR. N. Ka r/on Edward United States atone 3,047,322 HANDBAG FRAME LATCH Edward M. Karron, New York, N.Y. (518 Beach 139th St, Belle Harbor, N.Y.) Filed Dec. 30, 1958, Set. No. 733,929 2 Claims. (Cl. 292228) The present invention relates to a latch mechanism and especially to a latch mechanism adapted for use on a handbag frame, and to a latch mechanism for a handbag frame especially of the type consisting of a pair of U shaped channel members hingedly connected to one another at their ends, with the latch member of the mechamsm pivotally supported by an L-shaped spring disposed in the channel of one of the frame members and engageable on a detent provided on the other of the frame members.

Handbag frame latching mechanisms of the same general type to which the present invention relates have heretofore been known. However, the similar latch mechanisms of the prior art have been formed with a latch member composed of a plurality of separate parts separately formed and at least one of which required the milling of a hole or recess therein. These several parts required assembly with one another as well as with the frame member and spring. Also, in the latch mechanisms of the prior art, one of the latchparts required to be first asscmbled with the spring before being assembled with the other part of the latch member; such assembly including a soldering operation. Additionally, as heretofore made, the latches after being assembled with the bag frame generally required to be adjusted, by manual bending of their mounting, to be disposed in proper operating position. Further, because the latch member of the prior art mechanisms was made up of more than one part, it frequently came apart during use, to become inoperative.

It is 'an object of the present invention to provide a handbag frame latch mechanism of the character described whose latch member is made in one piece, and may be formed by standard machine tools, thereby eliminating the need for special tools, dies and jigs, as well as eliminating the costly and laborious hole milling and the soldering procedures and the equipment therefor, and is, therefore, more economical to produce.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a handbag frame latch mechanism of the character described, which, because it has a one-piece latch member, is stronger and more durable and less likely to become inoperative during use.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a handbag frame latch mechanism of the character described which is simpler and easier to mount on the frame and is more firmly and securely held in place thereon for prolonged improved operation.

It is still another object of the present invention toprovide a handbag frame latch mechanism of the character described in which the latch member is automatically disposed, upon assembly with the frame member to be and remain, at all times, in vertically and laterally stable operative position relative to the supporting frame member, thereby eliminating the costly manual adjustment of the latch member into operative position after assembly, or during use, as heretofore required.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a handbag frame latch mechanism of the character described which may itself be formed in any desired ornamental shape or may be formed to readily and conveniently receive and mount an ornament.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the handbag frame latch mechanism of the present invention will become more readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the embodiment thereof shown in the accompanying drawing and from the description following. It is to be understood, however, that such embodiment of the invention is shown by way of illustration only, to make the principles and practice thereof more readily comprehensible, and without any intent of limiting the invention to the specific details therein shown.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a handbag frame having the latch mechanism of the present invention; partly broken away to show details of latch construction and assembly;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, vertical sectional view of the handbag frame and latch assembly, taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1, with the latch shown in latching position;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view, showing the upper portion of the assembly of FIG. 2, with the latch shown in released position;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary, section taken on line 44 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary, enlarged sectional and partly clevational view of an improved embodiment of a latch mechanism of the invention; with the latch member having self-stabilizing means; and

.FIG. 6 is a section taken on line 66 of FIG. 5.

Referring now in greater detail to the accompanying drawing, and with particular reference to the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4, the same shows a handbag frame, generally designated as 10, which may be of conventional type, consisting of a pair of U-shaped channel members 12 and 14, respectively, which are hingedly associated at their terminals, as at 16. The channel members 12 and 14 may be of any suitable cross-section, such as U-shaped cross-section, as illustrated, with one of the walls, as 18, forming a top Wall of each of the members 12 and 14.

One of the frame members, as 12, is formed with a longitudinally extending slotZ-(l at substantially the midpoint of its top wall 18, and the top wall 18 of the other of the frame members 14 is provided with a detent propection 22 in register with the slot 20.

The latch member of thepresent invention comprises a one-piece body 24, preferably of metal, which may be solid, and is preferably formed with a substantially flat bottom wall 26, and is provided with an elongated, preferably rectangularly formed projection 28, on its bottom Wall 26, set at right angles to said bottom wall. The pr jection 28 is of a length and thicknessadapted to pass through the slot 20 in the wall 18 of frame member 12 and of a height to project inwardly therefrom into the channel of the member 12. The projection 28 is formed with a longitudinally and vertically extending slot 36, opening into its bottom and end faces, forming a pair of spaced parallel lugs 32, separated a distance to receive a portion of one leg of an L-shaped spring 34, which is of rectangular cross section, to retain such leg portion therein against rotation.

The latch member 24 is assembled with the frame member 12 by inserting its projection 28 through the slot 20 and inserting the spring 34 into the slot 30, and then swaging over the ends of the lugs 32, toward one another to substantially close the slot 31 and fixedly engage it over the spring 34.

The bottom wall 26 of the latch member body 24 is formed with a detentdepression which may be in the form of a groove 36, or a recess, disposed in suitably spaced relation to the projection 28 to be engageable over the detent projection 22 provided on the frame member 14.

The facing edges of the body 24 and of the detent pro-- jection 22 are preferably bevelled, as at 49 and 42, respectively, to facilitate the engagement of the latch member over the detent projection 22.

It will be apparent that the spring 34 serves as a spring t) pivot for the latch body 2 3, tonormally resiliently maintain it in upright position, with its detent depression 36 overlying the detent projection 22, when the two frame members 12 and 14 are juxtaposed, and permitting the tilting of the latch body 24, both, for interengaging of the latch over the projection 22 and for disengagement therefrom, as illustrated in FIG. 3 of the drawings; all in the conventional manner.

FIGS. 5 and 6 of the drawings illustrate a modified and further improved embodiment of the latch mechanism of the present invention. In this embodiment the latch member is self-stabilizing against movement out of operating position, as by displacement of the latch body thereof relative to the supporting frame, in a vertical direction or by overbalancing at an angle to the vertical, in either direction, to thereby become inoperative. in this embodiment of the invention, the body 1 4 is provided on its bottom wall 126 with an elongated, stepped projection, the relatively short innermost part of which, 128,

closely adjacent to the bottom wall 126, is of greater length than the slot 29 of the frame member wall 13, and its outermost portion 1280, is of a length adapted to fit within the slot 20; such end portion 128:: being centered on the longer portion 128 to provide on each side thereof a flat shoulder 129 that is adapted to overlie a marginal end portion of the slot 241. The projection 12812Sa is formed with a longitudinally-extending slot 130, extending inwardly at least the height of the projection end portion 123a within which is engaged the L-shaped spring 34 by the peening of the end of the lugs 132 formed by the slot 130, in the same manner as described above, with respect to the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 4.

It will be apparent that the shoulders 129 will tend to maintain the latch body 124 in fixed, spaced relation relative to the top Wall 18 of the frame member 12, and that it will also tend to maintain and to return it into fixed vertical position, after each tilting thereof for opening or closing the latch, because of the tendency of the latch body 124 to come to rest on the fiat shoulders 129 thereof due to the pull of the spring 34, to thereby remain at all times in substantially the same operative position, without the need for adjustment either at the time of assembly or at any time thereafter.

This completes the description of the latch mechanism of the present invention and of the method of assembling the same with a handbag frame. It may here be stated that such latch mechanism, instead of having its latch member formed of a solid body, may have the same shaped, by suitable dies, by stamping, cutting or forging,

from a single piece of sheet metal, to provide a body with a bottom wall and with parallel projections extending from the bottomwall to provide the parallel spaced lugs that form a sleeve for receiving the L-shaped spring, as well as a detent projection, in a manner readily understood.

It will be apparent that the latch member of the present invention may be simply and easily and econimically produced. It will also be apparent that it may be easily and simply and quickly assembled with the handbag frame and with the spring mounting the same. It will likewise be apparent that because of its one-piece construction, latch mechanisms having the latch member of the present invention are strong, durable and trouble free.

It will be further apparent that numerous modifications and variations may be made in the latch mechanism of the present invention, by any one skilled in the art, in accordance with the principles of the invention hereinabove set forth and without the exercise of any inventive ingenuity. I desire, therefore, to be protected for any and all such modifications and variations that may be made within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the claims hereto appended.

What I claim is:

1. A latch member for separably securing a pair of associated members to one another, said members including a latch supporting member having a wall formed with an elongated slot therethrough, said latch member comprising a body of greater thickness than said slot, said body having an integrally-formed projection on a face thereof of lesser thickness than the width of said slot,

said projection including spaced parallel terminal portions adapted to pass through said slot and to hold between them against the underside of said wall a rectangular portion of one leg of an L-shaped spring, said projection including an inner portion of greater length than said slot connecting each of said terminal portions to said body face, said terminal portions each offset from each end of said inner portion, the underside of the ends of the inner portion lying in a common plane and adapted to overlie the marginal end edge portions of said slot.

2. The latch member of claim 1, wherein said pair of associated members comprises hingedly associated handbag frame members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,113,978 Fuller Oct. 20, 1914 1,163,331 Fuller Dec. 7, 1915 1,361,378 'Fuller Dec. 7, 1920 1,843,557 Hiering Feb. 2, 1932 2,162,815 Krueger June 20, 1939 2,404,118 Yawman July 16, 1946 2,556,960 Dion June 12, l 2,714,031 Friedman July 26, 1955 

